Car-mover



UNTTED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY L. MARLETT, OF ALPENA, SOUTH DAKOTA.

CAR-MovER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,537, dated January '7, 1896.

Application led August 15,1895. Serial No. 559 ,329. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY L. MARLETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alpena, in the county of Jerauld and State of South Dakota, have invented' certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Movers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved machine especially adapted for moving cars, but also capable of use for moving other objects.

To this end my invention consists of the novel devices and combination of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like notations refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a left side elevation of the machine in working position with some parts broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line oc o3 of Fig. l, looking from the left.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine in working position, and Fig. 4 is a detail in plan view.

a represents one of the rails, and ties of a railway-track.

b b' b2 b3 represent a strong wheelbarrowlike frame or support, of which parts b represents the body portion, the forward and downward extensions therefrom to serve as the bearings for the wheel b4, h2 the legs, and b3 the handles of the said frame or support. The said frame is made of metal throughout and of the requisite strength for the heavy strain to which it is liable to be subject in the service. The wheel b4 is a broad-faced wheel with double flanges b5, adapting the wheel to ride on a track-rail and prevent lateral displacement of the machine.

On the main or body portion b of the frame and serving to space apart and rigidly hold together the side bars composing the same is located a fixed shaft or bearing-rod c, clamped to the frame-bars by nuts c and suitably shouldered for holding the side bars of the frame at the proper distances apart. Onthe a' the said fixed shaft or rod c is loosely mounted wheel d5.

the combined drum c2 and large gear-wheel The drum c2, as shown, is assumed to be cast integral with the large gear-wheel c3 or to be otherwise rigidly secured thereto, so that the drum e2 and the gear-wheel c3 will turn together. The drum c2 is provided with a suitable cable c4, having hooks c5 for attachment to the car or other object to be gmoved. The shaft c has a spacing-collar c6 .for holding the drum ,in proper position.

At the junction of the parts b and b' of the l frame is mounted a shaft d, the right end of which extends through the frame and is angular-ended for the purpose of applying thereto a crank-handle f. The said shaft cl is a shouldered shaft and is held by an outside nut d and collar d2. On the said shaft d is mounted a loose pinion d3, which is held thereto for rotary motion therewith by a key or spline d4, but is free to slide lengthwise of the shaft, so as to throw the same into or out of engagement with the lerge gear-wheel c3 at will. Near its left end said shaft d is provided with a large gear-wheel d5, which is fixed to the shaft.

The side bars b of the main frame are provided with bracket-like extensions b, of tri- 1 angular form, which ext-end forward and upward to a point above the level of the geara shaft c, which is also a shouldered shaft, and is secured in the said brackets by an outside nut g and a collar g2. The right end of the shaft g extends beyond the brackets h6 and is of angular form inVcross-section, the same as the shaft d, for the application thereto of the crank-han dle f. Onv the said shaft g is loosely mounted a pinion g3, which is held to rotate therewith by a key or spline g4, but is free for sliding motion thereon, so as to throw the same into or out of engagement with the gear-wheel d5. i

The side bars h of the main frame are suitably spaced apart, and rigidly tied together at their rear ends or points of junction with the handles b3 by a cross-bar b9. -In the said cross-bar b9 is formed a screw-threaded nut 1910, in which nut works a screw h with handcrank 71,. To theI lower end of the screw h is attached the head-bar h2 of a toggle -lever In the said brackets h6 is mounted IOO grapple h3 h4, which is adapted to engage with the rail a or `other fixed support as a suitable base of resistance. The said ha-nd-screw- 7L h', in co-operation with the said toggle-lever grapple hzhs h4, therefore constitutes a powerdevice anchor for securing the machine in working position, properly anchored to the rail or other suitable base of resistance.

From the description of the parts, as above set forth, it must be obvious that the side bars or side portions of the main frame or support are rigidly secured together and spaced apart by the shouldered shafts c CZ g and the rear end spacing-bar D. rlhe trackwheel b4 is also preferably loose on the crossshaft or axle, which is preferably made as a shouldered shaft and rigidly secured to the lower ends of the parts b' of the main frame by outside nuts b', and is provided with suitable spacing-collars bs for holding the wheel b4 in its proper or central position. Hence the shaft will co-operate with the other shafts c, d and g and the rear-end cross-bar b9 to brace the parts of the main frame. It is also obvious from the foregoing statements that the machine may be moved from one position to another like an ordinary wheelbarrow; that the machine is especially well adapted to be moved on a rail of the track, and to be anchored thereto by the power-device anchor in proper working position for the pull required. The double iiangcs b5 on the wheel b4' serve not only to hold the machine from lateral displacement in either direction, when moving the same lengthwise of the rail, but serve the same function against lateral strain under the pull on the windlass. Hence the said flanged wheel, together with the power-device anchor, will securely hold the machine to the rail, or in its anchored position, under any pull to-which it may be subj ected. It is also obvious from the foregoing statements that the windlass is equipped with interchangeable power and speed gearing. Vith the parts as shown in Fig. 3 the windlass would be capable of its greatest pull under power applied to the crank-handle f, but in the slowest time; but by shifting the crank-handle f to the intermediate shaft d, either with or without shifting the pinion g3 out of engagement with the gear-wheel d5, increased speed may be readily obtained with the corresponding loss of power.

For unwinding the drum or running out the cable the pinion d3 may be shifted on its shaft d out of gearwith the wheel c3, so as to leave the drum free to turn easily on its axle c under the outward movement of the cable.

The relative proportions of the different.

power to enable an ordinary workman to move the'heaviest car on the level or any ordinary grade such as would appear in an ordinary yard. When the crank-handle is applied to the shaft d, the power is of course reduced six times, with a corresponding increase in speed. l

A carmover constructed as herein described is a great convenience in railwayyards. It can be readily moved to any point desired, always find a solid anchorage, and be easily operated by one man to move acar. Hitherto, so far as l am aware, no such convenient or efficient device has been provided for this purpose.

It will of course be understood that some of the details of the construction shown could be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention. For example, while the hand-screw and toggle-lever grapple is the most convenient and desirable form of powerdevice anchor, it will be understood that other forms of power-device anchors might be subf stit'uted instead. the flanged wheel b4 b5, together with the [t should also be noted that wheelbarrow-frame and windlass, would be a serviceableV device even without the powerdevice anchor, and, on the other hand, that the wheelbarrow-like frame and power-device anchor could be made to co -operate with a broad-faced wheel without iianges, provided the'strain on the windlass was substantially in line with the rail or the center line of the machine. Both the power-device anchor and the double-flanged wheel b4 b5 are, however, i desirable for all work, and are a necessity for 'rendering the machine adapted to sidewise strain-such, for example, as-pulling a car on a laterally-adjacent track instead of on the samev track.

Of course it will be understood that this machine will operate to pull a car in either direction without changing or shifting the machine end to end.

It is of course-obvious that this machine is portable on the ground, although not quite so well as on the track, and that the same might be applied to move any other object as well as cars. It may also be noted that the head of the hand-screw 72, might be made of the same size as the heads of the shafts d and g, which would' make it possible to use the single crank-handlef to operate the handscrew r as well as the windlassf The separate crank-handle h for the hand-screw h is shown in the drawings for the sake of distinctness of illustration.

XV hat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. A car mover, involving the combination with a windlass, of a wheclbarrow like frame or support for the same, bearing a double flanged wheel adapted to ride a track rail and prevent lateral displacement of the machine in either direction, substantially as described.

2. A car mover, involving the combination with a windlass, of awheelbarrow like frame IOO IIO

or support therefor, having a double hanged wheel adapted to ride a track rail and resist lateral displacement of the machine, and an anchor for rigidly securing said support to said track rail o'r other xed base of resistance, substantially as described.

3. A car mover, involving the combination with a windlass, of a wheelbarrow like frame or support therefor, having a double flanged wheel adapted to ride the track rail and prevent lateral displacement of the machine, and a power device anchor carried by said sup port and engageable with the track rail to secure the machine in working position, substantially as described.

4f. A machine for moving cars or other objects, involving the combination with a windlass, of a wheelbarrow like support for the same, and an anchor comprising a hand screw on said support, and a grapple carried by said hand screw and engageable with a track rail or other fixed base of resistance, substantially as described.

5. VThe car mover described, comprising the wheelbarrow like support or frame, having the double iianged wheel for riding the rail and preventing lateral displacement of the machine, the windlass thereon equipped with interchangeable speed and power gearing, and the anchor consisting of the hand screw working through a nut on said support, and the toggle action grapple carried by said screw Y 

